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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Five Winterhawks Alumni Earn Medals at IIHF World Championships

May 28, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Tampere, Finland - Headlined by Cody Glass and Joel Hofer taking gold with Canada, five former Winterhawks today won medals at the 2023 IIHF Men's World Championships. Marcel Noebels won the silver medal with Germany, while Latvian standouts Rodrigo Abols and Rihards Bukarts won the bronze medal game against the United States.

Glass, 24, recorded four assists in 10 games at the tournament, including the primary helper on Sammy Blais' game-winning goal in the gold medal game. The Winnipeg, Man. native and current Nashville Predator recorded 292 points in 239 games with the Winterhawks from 2014-19.

Hofer, 22, skated in four games while serving in a backup role to Samuel Montembeault. Appearing in 66 regular-season games for Portland Hofer posted a 43-16-3-2 record and a .913 save percentage with the Hawks from 2018-20. The Winnipeg, Man. native currently plays for the Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues.

Noebels, 31, posted three goals and five assists for eight points in 10 games during this year's tournament, ranking fourth among all German skaters en route to a second-place finish. The Tönisvorst, Germany native played 31 games and scored 34 points with the Winterhawks during the 2011-12 campaign, and currently skates for Eisbären Berlin in the DEL.

Abols, 27, finished with five goals and two helpers across 10 games and was named one of Latvia's top-three forwards at the tournament. Abols posted 50 points in 64 games with Portland from 2015-17 and currently plays for Rögle BK in the SHL.

Bukarts, 27, led all Latvians and ranked fourth among all skaters in the tournament with 11 points (3G, 8A) in 10 contests. A native of Jurmala, Latvia, Bukarts bagged 53 points in 55 games with Portland during the 2015-16 WHL season, and now plays for Latvian club EC-KAC in the ICEHL.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Portland was well-represented by Swiss star Nino Niederreiter, who helped his nation to a fifth-place finish in the competition. Niederreiter posted 130 points in 120 games in the Rose City from 2009-11 and currently skates for the Winnipeg Jets.

Congratulations to each of these players and their respective countries on their success at the IIHF Men's World Championships!

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